Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum located in Weston, West Virginia, is a now defunct mental hospital that operated from 1872-1994. This facility is a National Historic Landmark, and also a portal allowing for a far off glimpse into our nation’s history of archaic mental health care.
The main building is the vision of architect Richard Snowden Andrews. The layout is heavily based on the Kirkbride Plan, believed to provide plenty of therapeutic fresh air and sunlight. It’s construction lasted from 1858-1881 taking an extended break during the civil war.
The current stewards of this time capsule offer multiple different tour options, including various historic and paranormal tours. We opted for the 90 minute 4 floor; an extremely well presented stroll down history lane. Our tour guide was the knowledgeable Nurse Amy who clearly knew the facility inside and out.
The walls of this stunning sedimentary hulk are 2 feet thick and made of hand cut sandstone. The front side blocks are all perfectly cut and stacked by design while the rest of the building is an amazing tetris of random block sizes puzzled together.
After the hospital was closed in 1994 the vast majority of the hospitals contents were gathered up by the state for use elsewhere. Once abandoned most of the remaining contents wandered off with any number of visitors. Very few original items remain.
Located in the morgue, one such remainant can be found; A decaying mortuary fridge lies vacant and unmoved.
To the rear of the property you can get a look at a large greenhouse, part of the farm that once resided on the original 666 acre plot. Along with a dairy, coal mine, and water works, it once employed many of the patients. Idle hands being inclined to do the devil’s work and all. This therapeutic labor helped to keep the sprawling facility self sufficient.
There is little public money to be allocated for preserving such gems, often local groups ban together to make an attempt. Most often it seems that it isn’t until someone with the proper private funding or a profitable idea comes along that these relics are safe. In 2007 one such individual, Joe Jordan of Morgantown WV stepped in and purchased the land mark and half of the acreage for 1.5 million dollars. The asbestos contractor has since not only been preserving but slowly restoring this National Historic Landmark.
It was quite amazing the amount of history that was covered on our tour. In a blink of 90 minutes, we moved all around and up through 4 floors in varying states of restoration.
Built for just over 200 patients, and swelling to 2,700 in the 1960s these walls have seen some of humanity’s worst and most feeble attempts at treating mental health. Even with all the terror and mistreatment burned into it’s walls, this behemoth stands as a beautiful reminder of where we have been, how far we have come, and helps us to question the next leg of our journey.
The pictures we took can barely begin to convey the heavy duality that surrounds this property. I urge anyone who has the opportunity to pay this site a visit. Only closing one day a week, conducting overnight tours, and haunted halloween attractions provide many options to support the maintenance and restoration of landmarks like this. Continued patronage is key to making it all happen.
For the most up to date information be sure to visit Trans-AlleghenyLunaticAsylum.com
